Abstract

The infection by Helicobacter Pylori (HP), a gram-negative bacillus, is more prevalent in the developing countries, and more often among younger people reaching up to 10% of the population in comparison to only 0.5% in more developed world. Generally HP is asymptomatic in children. This study aimed to determining the prevalence of Hp among Sudanese children and to recognize associated epidemiological features. It was a prospective cross sectional study at Gaafar Ibn Aouf children hospital (GCH) in the period between December 2010 and May 2011. GCH is the largest specialized referral hospital in Khartoum and in the Sudan. Those who were diagnosed before as Hp positive were excluded. Full history, Physical examination was performed. A blood sample was taken from every patient and serum was kept at -20°C to be tested for Hp IgG antibodies through ELISA kit (Monobind; Inc., California, USA) as directed by the Manufacturer, and 20 U/mL for antibodies was considered significant and positive. Using SPSS Version 21, categorical variables were compared with Chi-square test where P < 0.05 was taken as statistically significant. This current study included 128/312 (40.1%) children admitted to the hospital who were +ve for HP (56.3% = male). The prevalence of HP is 56.3% among Sudanese children Prevalence of HP increased with age and was directly related to mother and father level of education, socioeconomic status and positive family history.

Key words: Children; Helicobacter pylori; Organism; Socio-economic; Sudanese